Washing machine



Oct. 27, 1936. J. T. HUME 2,059,183

WASHING MACHINE Filed July 30, 1932 5 Shee'ts-Sheet 1 jg fi/enfor/ Oct. 27, J HUME WASHING MACHINE Filed July 30, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct; 27, 1936. HUME WASHING MACHINE Filed July 30, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheei s Get. 27, 1936. J T, M 2,959,183

WASHING MACHINE Filed July :50, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 WASG Mi t Ji'ohn T. Hume, Chicago, m, inner to Electric Househoid' llltilities @orporation, @lbicago, Hit,

a corporation oi nois Application .liully 341', 1932, Serial No. 626,6'3'3 6 Claims.

clothes agitator adapted to effect a violent, irregular and continuous movement of the clothes and washing fluid during the operation of the machine. A further object of the invention is to provide a washing machine of the type referred to having an improved form of clothes agitator having a radiating plate or disk provided on the upper and lowersides thereof with irregular vanes or. projections adapted to effect a turbulent and irregular agitation of the fluid throughout the body thereof when in operation. Still another object of the invention is to provide a washing machine of the tub type having a clothes agitator shaft projecting upwardly from the bottom thereof and having a clothes agitator mounted on this shaft and provided with a substantially horizontal disk located substantially midway between the top and bottom of the tub and provided on the upper and lower sides thereof with means for eflecting an irregular agitation of the washing fluid in the upper and lower parts of the tub and around the outer edge thereof. Other objects of the invention relate to various features of construction and arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings, in which one embodiment is illustrated. In the drawings,

Fig. 1 shows a vertical axial section through a washing machine embodying the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows a horizontal section taken on the line 2.2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a top plan view of the improved clothes agitator of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a detail section taken on the line llll of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 shows a side elevation of the improved clothes agitator with a portion of the upper part thereof broken away;

Fig. 6 is a detail section taken on the line iili of Fig. 3;

- Fig. '7 shows an enlarged vertical section taken on the line l-lof Fig. 2;

( U11. 259- lliilll) Fig. 8 shows a transverse vertical section taken on the line t-t of Fig. 7

Fig.9 is a horizontal section taken on the line t--t of Fig. 7, showing a plan view of the operating mechanism contained within the housing;

Fig. 10 is a horizontal section taken on the line lt--it of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 11 is a vertical section taken on the line lll-lll of Fig. 10.

As illustrated in the drawings, the invention is embodied in a washing machine comprising a frame or housing it having radiating arms te which are engaged on their outer vertical ends by the annular metal skirt it. The frame it and skirt it are supported by four legs ll which have their upper ends formed as brackets ill to seat against the outer surface of the skirt it. These legs on the skirt it are secured to the arms W of the frame it by studs it. v The lower ends of the legs ill are supported upon casters it adapted to rest upon the floor or other support so that the machine may be conveniently wheeled about. The skirt it terminates at its upper end in a portion it of restricted diameter having a rubber ring it mounted upon the upper end thereof and this portion of the skirt is adapted to support the tub or vessel it in which the clothes and washing fluid are placed during the washing operation. This tub is of cylindrical form having a bottom wall til and a cylindrical outer wall 20* which fits within the upper restricted portion lt of the skirt it and is provided with an annular corrugation 2i) which overlaps and rests upon the rubber ring it. In this way, the tub it is detachably supported upon the frame structure which is carried by the legs ll. The cylindrical wall 20 of the tub is provided adjacent its upper end with another annular corrugation 20 and the upper edge thereof has a rubber ring fil fixed thereon for engagement by the annular flange Zi of the sheet metal cover ii. The flange Zi is formed by doubling the metal at the margin of the cover and providing a downwardly and inwardly inclined flange it which engages the inner curved surface of the rubber ring w The cover 2! is provided at its center with a handle 2 B by which it may be conveniently removed and replaced.

The bottom wall it of the tub is provided at its center with an aperture through which passes a stationary sleeve or hollow standard 22 having the lower end thereof secured in a hub 23 which is formed as a part of the frame it. The outer surface of the standard 22 is engaged within the aperture in the bottom wall of the tub by an externally threaded sleeve 2t having an outwardly extending flange 24 which underlies the bottom wall of the tub. A packing ring 25 is seated on the flange 2 1 to engage the bottom wall of the tub around the aperture therein. Another packing ring or gasket 26 is seated upon the upper surface of the bottom wall around this aperture and these two packing rings are compressed to form a fluid-tight joint by a collar or nut 2'i which threadedly engages the upper threaded extremity of the sleeve 24 which has a fluid-tight engagement with the external surface of the standard 22. This standard 22 extends upwardly to a point above the horizontal center line of the tub and is provided at its upper end with an internal bushing 29 in which is journaled a shaft 30 adapted to be oscillated by the mechanism hereinafter described for the purpose of imparting a corresponding oscillatory motion to a clothes agitator 3i which is secured to the upper end thereof and which surrounds the upper portion of the standard 22.

The connection between the shaft 30 and the clothes agitator 3| is made through a block 32 which is pinned or otherwise secured upon the upper end of the shaft and which is providedaround its periphery with longitudinal teeth adapted to fit between corresponding teeth formed on, and thus to form a splined engagement with, the hub ti of the clothes agitator.- The block 32 is provided with an outwardly extending flange 32 at its lower end which underlies the hub 3P of the agitator and thus supports it in position. The upper end of the hub 3 I is provided with an internally threaded recess in which is mounted a cap member 33 adapted to close the upper end of the tub and prevent the exit of washing fluid to the upper end of the shaft 30.- The hub 3| of the agitator is formed integrally with a downwardly extending tube or sleeve 3 l which is spaced outwardly from the standard 22 and which is provided at its lower end with a relatively fixed bushing 36 having a bearing upon the external surface of the standard 22 so that when the shaft 30 is oscillated, the agitator has a firm support adjacent the upper and lower ends thereof. Between its upper and lower ends, the sleeve Bi of the clothes agitator is formed integrally with a horizontally extending disk 3l which is preferably pentagonal in form and which is provided.

around its margin with an outwardly extending rib 3V From the center of each of the five straight edges 3 of this disk, there extends radially inward a rib orcorrugation 3i of inverted V-shaped cross-section which diminishes in magnitude toward the center of the agitator and disappears at or outwardly from the sleeve Ell as shown in Fig. 3. These ribs or corrugations 3i thus provide upwardly extending radial projections on the upper side of the disk and corresponding recesses on the under side of the disk. From the apices of the pentagonal disk, there extend radially inward a plurality of hollow ribs 3 which project downwardly from the. bottom of the disk and are united at their inner ends with the tube or sleeve 3!". These ribs are preferably enlarged in a vertical plane from the axis of the agitator outwardly so that their lower edges are downwardly and outwardly inclined and these lower edges terminate in upwardly curved surfaces 3| which unite with the disk 30 at the margin thereof. These ribs 3%, being hollow, provide a series of corresponding recesses or depressions 3P in the upper face of the disk 311, each depression extending from the tube or sleeve Sl to the junction of two of theedge surfaces 3 i of the disk. The agitator 3 I, thus formed, is adapted to have an oscillatory or reciprocatory motion about a vertical axis corresponding to the oscillatory motion of the shaft 30 and the washing fluid and clothes contained within the tub 20 are adapted to be violently agitated by this oscillatory motion. The upwardly extending ribs 3 5* which taper downwardly and inwardly toward the center of the agitator act in conjunction with the depressions 3 i to effect a turbulent and irregular agitation of the washing fluid located above the disk of the agitator and the downwardly extending ribs or projections 3| are adapted to effect a corresponding violent and irregular agitation of the washing fluid contained beneath the disk of the agitator. The pentagonal form of the disk is adapted to operate in conjunction with the effect of the ribs on the upper and lower sides thereof to produce the required agitation of the washing fluid and clothes located between the outer margin of the disk 3l and the surrounding cylindrical wall of the tub which is preferably spaced outwardly from the disk to a sufficient extent to permit exit of the hands of the operator to the lower part of the tub.

The mechanism for imparting an oscillatory motion to the shaft 30 is contained within a housing 35 which is secured to the under side of the frame or housing l5 by cap screws 36. This housing 35 is provided beneath the center of the tub with a recess 3'! in which is located a ball bearing 38 having the lower end of the shaft 30 journaled therein. Above this hearing, the shaft 30 has secured thereon a pinion 39 which meshes with an oscillatory frame or rack ill having an arcuate series of rack teeth 40*- at the end thereof to mesh with the teeth of the pinion, as shown particularly in Fig. 9. At its opposite end, this frame or rack 40 is provided with a hub 40 which is pivotally mounted upon a hollow sleeve or bearing M carried by a bearing plate 32 which is capable of adjustment as hereinafter described for the purpose of moving the teeth of the rack ill into and out of mesh with the pinion 39. The plate t2 rests upon the upper end of the hub or sleeve lil and this sleeve in turn rests upon the upper face of a gear 43 which is splined upon the lower end of a vertical shaft M and which is provided with a downwardly extending cylindrical part 33 journaled in a bearing hub 65 formed in the lower part of the housing 35. The shaft id extends vertically upward to a point above the upper end of the tub 2i] and it is housed within a stationary tube 46 which is secured in a bearing block t7 formed as a part of the frame it. When the gear $3 is rotated by the mechanism hereinafter described, the shaft M is operated to drive a clothes wringer or ironing machine which may be mounted in swinging position about the upper end of the tube M5 and supported upon the bracket lil which is carried by the upper part of this tube, as shown in Fig. 1. The plate 52 which carries the bearing sleeve ii is pivotally connected by a pin M with the frame or housing It and is adapted to be swung about this pivot for the purpose of varying the position of the sleeve ll and thus moving the teeth of the rack it into or out of engagement with the pinion til. This movement of the plate d2 may be effected by means of a crank pin till which is eccentrically mounted on the lower face of a crank disk 5! formed on the lower end of a short vertical shaft 52 having a bearing in the bearing block M. A crank handle 53 is secured upon the upper end oi. this shaft 52 and the crank pin 50 pivotally engages a block t which is slidable in a groove t2 formed in the plate 42, as shown in Fig. 10, so that when the shaft 52 is rotated by the crank handle 53, the block 54 is reciprocated in its grooveto swing the plate 42 about the pin M. A coil spring 55 is mounted betweenthe block 54 and the inner end of the groove l2 so that the block is normally forced in an outward direction from the pivot pin 49, thus tending to maintain the rack teeth in engagement with the teeth of the pinion 39.

The rack M and the gear 43 are both actuated by an electric motor 60 which is suspended from the frame l5 with its shaft fil extending horizontally and connected by acoupling 62 with a worm 63 which is journaled at its ends in bearings M carried by one side of the housing 35, as shown in Figs. 2 and 9. The worm 53 meshes with a worm gear 65 which revolves about a shaft 66 secured in the frame it and the housing 35 as illustrated in Fig. '7. The shaft 66 extends through a slot in the rack member Ml which is located above the gear 65 and the hub of this gear extends upwardly and has an eccentric 68 formed integrally therewith. This eccentric r0- tates in a circular bearing 69 formed in a block 159 which is mounted to slide in a guideway llll formed in the rack member tit, as illustrated in Fig. 8. The eccentric 68 is thus continuously rotated when the motor til is in operation and this causes an oscillation of the rack member it about the bearing sleeve ll with a resulting oscillation of the agitator shaft 3E! when the rack member is in engagement with the pinion 3d. The gear 65 meshes with a small gear it which rotates on a stub shaft ll secured in a plate l2 detachably secured to the under side of the houstill ing 35 by means of studs til, as shown in Fig. 7. The gear it is secured by a pin it to a pinion iii which rotates upon the upper end of this stub shaft and this pinion meshes with the gear d3, previously described, to drive the vertical shaft M. This mechanism for driving the shaft i t and effecting an oscillatory motion of the agitator shaft 30 is not a part of the present invention but is described and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 338,456, filed February 8, 1929.

Although one form of the invention has been shown anddescribed by way of illustration, it will be understood that it may be constructed in various other embodiments coming within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 4

1. The combination in a washing machine, of a tub for containing washing fluid, a shaft extending upwardly through the bottom of said tub, means for actuating said shaft, and an agitator mounted in fixed position on said shaft and comprising a horizontal disk spaced upwardly from the bottom of said tub to provide a clothes washing space beneath it, said disk being of polygonal form and having radially extending vanes on the lower side thereof terminating at the apices of said disk.

l 2. The combination in a washing machine, of a tub for containing washing fluid, a shaft extending upwardly through the bottom of said tub, means for actuating said shaft, and an agitator mounted on said shaft above the bottom of said tub and comprising a horizontal disk of polygonal form having vanes extending inwardly from apices thereof and other vanes on the other side of the disk extending inwardly at right angles to the sides of said disk.

3. The combination in a washing machine, of

a tub for containing washing fluid, a shaft ex-,

tending upwardly through the bottom of said tub, means for actuating said shaft, and an agitator mounted on said shaft with a washing space beneath it above the bottom of the tub and comprising a horizontal disk of polygonal form hav-' ing upwardly projecting vanes extending inwardly at right angles to the sides of said disk and having other radially extending vanes on the lower side of the disk.

4. The combination in a washing machine, of

a tub for containing washing fluid, a shaft extending upwardly through the-bottom of said tub, and an agitator mounted'on said shaft and comprising a polygonal-disk spaced upwardly above the bottom of said tub to provide a clothes washing space beneath it, said agitator comprising two series of radially extending vanes each gradually increasing in depth gradually from the center of the agitator outwardly to its outer end, one

series of vanes being located on the upper side of said disk and the other series of said vanes being located on the lower side of said disk.

5. The combination in a washing machine, of a tub for containing washing fluid, a vertical shaft extending upwardly through the bottom of said tub, and an agitator mounted on said shaft and comprising a horizontal disk of polygonal form, said disk being provided on one side with a series of radially extending vertical vanes di rected inwardly from the apices of said disk, said disk being provided on the other side with another series of radial vanes extending inwardly from the sides of said disk at points midway between said apices, the vanes of each series in creasing in depth from the center of the agitator outwardly. I

6. The combination in a washing machine of an agitator comprising a central sleeve united integrally with an outwardly extending disk of polygonal form, said disk havinghollow vanes extending downwardly from the lower side thereof with corresponding depressions on the upper side of said disk, said disk being further provided with radial corrugations forming upwardly extending radial vanes at points between said first named vanes.

JOHN T. HE ull 

